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Teachable Moments

I’m Leaving!!!

Imagine your kids, or someone else’s kids for that matter, stamping their feet, yelling and running to their rooms; slamming their doors. We roll our eyes. We discipline our kids when they throw tantrums. We sometimes ignore them to teach them that there are other ways to get attention. We assume that those children that aren’t ours, must never get disciplined.

What do we do when this happens in the church? When people get mad or offended, they do the equivalent. They stamp their feet and they say they’re leaving because of this reason or that reason. The people leave hurt and the people left in the church are hurt. The Pastor/Head Elder is hurt because that is their child; their sheep. The church has lost a family member. Whatever happened to, “God sent me to this church and I’m not leaving, no matter what happens, until I wholly believe God and my leaders in agreement, send me elsewhere?

When our children throw tantrums, it is out of rebellion and manipulation. In essence, what many people do in the church is the very same thing. Sure, we may not be slamming doors and stomping our feet, but we are acting in rebellion and manipulatively. We didn’t get our way, so we run to the door. That will teach them! If God wants us somewhere and we leave, we are acting in rebellion. Suppose I feel like I am going to get that Worship Leading position, and suddenly, the leaders of the church put somebody else in that position. How I react to this turn of events is going to show my maturity or lack thereof. If you don’t deal with your issues, you will keep following this cycle of immature reactions and keep hurting others as well as yourself.

We need to be truly honest with ourselves and our issues. We need to understand our place in a church. If you think you deserve a position or something else in a church, then you don’t understand God’s word. If we got what we deserved, we would all be burning in hell. Good behavior and loyalty does not get you a position in a church. We, as Christians, have callings and giftings that God gave each of us. You may have a gift of worship and music on your life, but that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed that Worship Leader position. Perhaps you need to take your instrument or voice to the streets and be a Worship Leader there.

We need to trust God and trust the leaders, as Fathers and Mothers, that He placed in our lives. We need to check our hearts and motives when we feel that little voice inside telling us we deserved something that we didn’t get in the church. If we leave churches because we always get mad, or don’t agree, we will soon become unteachable if we aren’t already there; and that is a very concerning place to be as a follower of Christ!